


Blood On Cold Steel

by SoySauceSocks



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Legacies (TV 2018), The Hunger Games (Movies), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:14:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24330385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoySauceSocks/pseuds/SoySauceSocks
Summary: Klaus Mikaelson, the cold-hearted killer of Panem, ripped his way to being the victor of the 43rd annual Hunger Games. But his time is over. Now it's time for his daughter, Hope Mikaelson, to carry on his legacy. After countless years of training and preparation, Hope finally feels ready to volunteer at the 54th annual Hunger Games at the age of 18.Josie Saltzman is an ordinary citizen, just like any dweller in District 12. She lives with her father, Alaric, and sister, Lizzie, in the Seam. Josie gathers plants and berries in the wilderness that surrounds District 12 while Lizzie works her hands to the bone gardening traditional plants to sell for money. Alaric is left to work himself to death in the coal mines with the rest of the men in the Seam.Will fate pull these two together? Who will become the victor of the 54th Hunger Games?
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 6
Kudos: 73





	Blood On Cold Steel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dandelionlighters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionlighters/gifts).



> Real quick, this is my first ever time posting on Ao3 so bear with me here. I also don't have a schedule of posting organized for the chapters, but I will be posting as often as I can. Also thanks to dandelionlighters for the help. This is going to be a kind of slow-burn/slow story, so if you like more fast-paced stories, I don't know, leave me alone. Just kidding, do what you like, this story is for everyone and anyone. Enjoy your time here, and leave any comments or opinions you have. Hope you enjoy the story :)  
> (This one is for the boys with the booming system, Top-down, AC with the cooler system)

Hope breathed in the salty-sweet air of District 4. She opened her eyes to the dark room illuminated only by a small streak of the sun. She sat herself up, rubbing the apparent drowsiness out of her eyes and removed the rough, worn-out quilt from her body. Two days, she thought, two more days until the reaping.

This was the year all her training paid off. Being what they call a career tribute was not as easy as it seemed. Hope had to train endlessly to even amount to 3/4 of what her father was. Klaus Mikaelson was a legend within Panem after the performance he provided when he was younger. He was a very brutal and violent man, managing to win the Hunger Games with the most kills anyone had ever seen before. Hope had a lot of weight to drag around. She was his legacy.

For as long as Hope could remember, she had been training with spears, tridents, and remotely any weapon the academy could provide. She was one of the best the school has ever seen, apart from her father of course. About everyone in Panem knew about the Mikaelson family. All of the blood and tears that follow it. That year held the cruelest and bloodiest Hunger Games in a while. If Hope were to ever amount to that, any trace of her humanity would have to wash away. The Games were messed up. She'd have to be more messed up.

The old boards sent a chilling shiver through her body the moment she set her feet down. The desire to stay under the warm and toasty quilt grew with every step she took. Hope softly padded across her room to the dresser, pulling out her training outfit. She pulled on the black shirt and pants and slipped on the newest pair of socks and shoes she had, the supple leather not yet molded to the soles of her feet. After she got dressed for the day, she made her way downstairs. When she got to the main floor, the scent of breakfast slowly wafted across the room. One of the caretakers that acts as the house chef was cooking when Hope walked by.

"Breakfast is being made-" Hope cut off the caretaker before they could finish speaking.

"I'm not hungry," Hope said as she carelessly walked out the front door, grabbing an apple on her way out.  
The Victor's Village in District 4 did not have as many occupants as some of the other Districts, but they had more occupants than some of the poorer districts. Hope trekked by the neighboring houses, and when she got out of the small neighborhood, she caught a glimpse of the world outside the Hunger Games and her father. Men were down by the docks, fishing in their designated areas as the women transported the fish to the butchers. No one got anything from their work except for the small pay they gave you. If you got caught stealing, it was punishable by death.

Being in one of the wealthiest Districts meant that most everyone had meals for the day, but the poverty showed in some parts of the District when you could see the hollowness of some men as they teach their sons all they know. District 4 isn’t as wealthy as some of the other Districts, like 1 and 2, but they were much wealthier than places like District 12. Hope wondered what it must be like to live there. All she could see of it was during the Victory Tours, but they only show what must be the town square. Even then it looked pretty poor.

When she reached the academy doors she hesitated for a second, this was the doorway to death, either the students inside or the victims they would kill in the arenas. Brushing away any second thoughts, she pushed through the doors into the familiar building and threw away the apple core into one of the trash bins. Inside was a huge gymnasium like area, full of weapons, targets, obstacle courses, and areas designated for wilderness survival.

"Welcome, Hope. I'm glad that you could join us." Fennal Dawngrove, or to his students Mr. Dawngrove, said as he was teaching a group of 13-year-olds the basics of a spear.

"Sorry, I slept in," Hope responded. She set down her stuff in a corner and walked over to one of the weapon racks.

"Are you ready for the reaping?" Dawngrove asked, eyeing Hope pick up a trident.

"As ready as I can be." Hope breathed out. She then turned and walked towards some of the targets. She looked down and got her feet lined up and finally peered up at the target, picking out where she wanted to hit it. With a tremendous amount of force and accuracy, she launched the trident and lodged it right into where the target's head would be. Growing up in District 4 allowed the majority of the people to be skilled with tridents, knots, and anything in the water. Not only was Hope a skilled fighter, but she was also a skilled swimmer.

"You've improved exceedingly, Hope. You don't need to be worried.” Dawngrove approached her from behind. “If it came down to it, I'm sure that you could kill everyone in that arena by yourself.” He then patted her on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you," he said, hesitating before walking away. Hope brushed off the encounter and went to retrieve the trident to practice a few more times.

After a while with the trident, Hope continued to one of the survival areas that taught the basics of survival. One of the instructors, Mrs. Leome, was in the middle of showing how to purify water when Hope walked by, stopping abruptly to observe. She glanced around at all of the young kids, who practically signed themselves up for trauma or even death. The instructor appeared to have just finished putting in the five drops of iodine needed to clean the water.

“And that is how you purify water when it is clear.” The instructor looked up and saw Hope in the back. “Go ahead and try it on your own. But no drinking it. When I come back, I’ll teach you guys how to purify murky water.” The class immediately disrupted into indistinct conversations as they each tried to purify their own water. The instructor approached Hope who was behind the small crowd. “Walk with me,” the instructor said, not waiting for Hope to follow her away from the area.

“What’s wrong Mrs. Leome?” Hope asked, following the older woman.

“I just heard that you are volunteering this year,” Leome asked, turning to face Hope. “Is that true?” Leome asked.

“Yes. It’s true. Why?” Hope answered.

“Are you sure you’re ready? Your father didn’t volunteer until he was 23. You’re only 18. Your father was more prepared.” Of course, this was about her father. Ever since the Gamemakers announced his victory, all that Hope was was just a token of that day. Yet living your entire life only ever being a reminder of your father, you tend to get used to it.

“I’m not my father,” Hope answered rather accusingly. “Plus he only started training at 10 years old, like most of the other kids. I started when I was 5. I’m ready.” Hope responded to Leome, but before she could ask anything else, Hope took off. The fact that Hope wasn’t the biggest fan of the instructor didn’t help with the obvious bite behind her words. There was nothing more she could learn from any of the survival classes anyways. All she could do now was practice with the weapons she hasn’t fully mastered yet.

Hope sparred for a while before she began to train on her own, not minding her sore muscles. After training for a while Hope noticed that people were leaving, so she started to pack up her things and head to the door. Before leaving the academy she turned around one last time. This could be the very last time I see this place she thought. She glanced around and spotted Dawngrove gazing at her.  
Ever since she was little, he was like a father to her. Klaus was distant, usually out at the town bar, keeping them in service, or wandering the streets, mouthing off anyone who looked at him weirdly. Sometimes Hope had to go retrieve her passed out father from the bar. On rare occasions, Hope had to carry some unlucky person who decided to start a fight with him to the healer. Those days made Hope extremely disappointed with her husk of a father.

Before she could leave, Mr. Dawngrove jogged to catch up with her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Hey, so for the reaping tomorrow Reeves is going to volunteer with you.” Mr. Dawngrove informed Hope. 

“Wait, you mean Reeves Cardamom?” Hope asked. Mr. Dawngrove nodded in reply. Reeves was a relatively nice kid that mostly everyone liked, and he was a skilled fighter. The thing is, he about bursts into tears at the sight of blood. Even if it’s a single drop. At the last reaping, when they pricked his finger, he passed out. “I think it’d be better if I just killed him off during the Bloodbath,” Hope stated blankly, seeking the boy in question.

“Hey, whatever happens in the arena stays in the arena, right?” Dawngrove said while shrugging his shoulders, giving Hope a ‘whatever floats your boat’ look. Fennal was often a cold person to those who didn’t know him, but once you’ve spent your entire life with him, he can become quite amiable. Hope then replied with a breathy laugh. “I’ll be cheering for you, alright?” He assured her.

“I know.” Hope smiled up at the man. The closest she had to family was him and the caretakers that would hold her when she was crying in her younger years. Whenever she cried in front of her father or asked him for help, he would scold her. Sometimes, when he yelled at her for crying, it was so loud that she dreaded her life. Ever since then, Hope wouldn’t allow herself to cry or ask for help from anyone. Her father taught her that it showed the world her vulnerability. Hope isn’t, and will never be vulnerable or weak. “Make sure you visit me after the reaping, Fennal,” Hope knew how much the man hated kids calling him by his first name.

“You know I will,” Dawngrove responded with a wink. Hope gave him a smile in return before leaving the academy.

When she stepped outside, Hope noticed it was the middle of the evening and what little daylight was left would soon be gone. Citizens dressed in green and blue started to come back from the docks and head to the market. The market was a common spot in the evening due to everyone being free. Hope loved to stroll through it and look at all the wares people had crafted or had found in the ocean. While browsing along some of the smaller stalls, something caught Hope’s eye.

“What is this?” Hope asked the little old lady at the stall, holding up a small necklace with a pendant on it.

“That’s a crescent moon, dear.” The old woman answered.

“How much for it?” Hope asked.

“10 tesserae, take it, or leave it.” The woman replied.

“I’ll take it.” Hope slowly paid the woman while keeping her eye on the pendant. When the transaction finished Hope offered a quick “Thank you,” before continuing to stroll down the market.

When Hope stepped through the door into her house, the reek of alcohol immediately caused Hope to wrinkle her nose in disgust. Coming home to the terrible stench that Klaus gave off was not uncommon when Hope walked through the door. He wouldn’t allow even the caretakers to clean him. The job was often left to Hope. Although it doesn’t always seem evident, Klaus loved his daughter with all that he could. She was all he had left.

“Come on, get up dad.” Hope bent down to her father laying on the floor, drink in hand.

“Hands off me, you vile- Hope.” Klaus was very contentious towards anyone but his daughter. When his eyes met hers, they immediately softened to their dark blue-green eyes.

“Yep, it’s me. Now get on your feet, I need to clean you up.” Hope ordered. Slowly but surely, Klaus made his way to his feet. “Oh, by the way, I’m volunteering at the reaping this year.” Hope stoically told her father.

“I am sure that you will make me proud,” Klaus assured her, placing the bottle on the nearest surface with one hand, and shaking Hope’s shoulder with the other.

“I’ll try. Now come on, we need to clean you up.” Hope ushered Klaus up the stairs and to the bathroom, not forgetting to grab his sleepwear before going in. “Are you able to clean up by yourself, or do you still need me?” Hope asked, starting the bathwater.

“I am very much able to clean myself, thank you,” Klaus said with conviction.

“Don’t be afraid to call me if you need me,” Hope told Klaus. “I’ll go get you some water and food so you can sober up,” Hope told him, leaving the bathroom not waiting for an answer. When she came back, Klaus was already fully submerged, only his nose, eyes, and the top of his head were showing. Hope then placed the water and food on the table next to him. After she made sure that he was ok, she went to her bedroom.

While laying on her bed, Hope was examining the necklace she got today. Somehow, it made her feel safe and secure. Hope ran her fingers over the detailed pendant slowly, exploring every crevasse and detail it had to offer. She saw herself in the reflection, blue eyes turned dark in the night, and slightly curly long auburn hair sprawled out on her pillow. She flipped the pendant over and examined the back, but it did not offer as much as the front did. 

Hope grew tired as the night dragged on, so she decided to try to sleep, anticipating the following days. She placed the necklace on the nightstand next to her and pulled up the rough quilt that was laid out on the bed. Deciding that her father was fine, and did not drunkenly drown in the bathtub after hearing him stumble through the hallways, Hope let herself drift off into a long slumber.

A blood-curdling screech in the distance woke up Hope. She immediately jumped up in surprise, examining her surroundings hastily. She was in a dark field, surrounded by towering grass, the only light source coming from the moon. Another screech tore into Hope’s ears, causing her to clamp her hands on her head to protect herself from the ringing sound.

“HOPE! DON’T LET THEM KILL ME!” The voice was female and was coming from her right side. She sprinted off towards the origin of the sound, ignoring the small cuts from the tall grass.

“Where are you!?” Hope shouted in reply, frantically searching for the person calling for her.

“Hope-” The words sounded choked like there was something ripping away the vocal cords of the person. Hope spun around, facing the direction of where the word came from, and she took off sprinting once more.  
“I’m coming!” Hope called out as a sweat broke on her forehead. She reached up and wiped away the sweat, also wiping blood from the scratches on her forehead. Mud dampened her shoes, soaking into her socks as she ran as fast as her body would let her. Small weeds at her feet threatened to trip her as she trampled over them in search of someone she didn’t know. The pounding of her heart in her ears lined up with the pounding of her feet as she ran.

A small sound alerted Hope as she came to a sliding stop due to the slipperiness of the mud. In front of her was a sight that she couldn’t even handle. Klaus Mikaelson, holding a sickle over his head, his face and body covered in blood as he was threatening another victim. The victim had long flowing brown hair that was covered in the mud, yet it still reminded Hope of the ocean waves. The girl also had a small body in stature. The girl was under his grasp, trying to worm her way out of it.

“Hope,” the same female voice that was screaming for her help earlier was now right in front of her. The voice was raspy and breathy due to Klaus’ grasp around her neck. “Help me please.” The voice sounded again as small hands clawed at the hand around her neck.

“Dad,” Hope sounded weak and helpless as she pleaded with the monster she called her dad. “What are you doing?” Hope asked the bloody man. He looked up from the girl and stared at his daughter. The soft green-blue eyes she once knew were now black with the night, Hope swore she could see specks of gold in them. His eyes were empty. No emotion could be found in them, even if you searched for hours, days even. 

“One more kill, Hope.” He spoke with such intensity that even Hope felt threatened. “One more kill.” He continued, tightening his grip around the sickle he was wielding.

“What do you mean ‘one more kill’ dad?” Hope asked carefully, trying to avoid any aggression the man had within him. He tilted his head as if he didn’t understand Hope’s question. “What do you mean, dad?” Hope asked again softly.

“No. You wouldn’t understand.” Klaus answered her, looking back down at his victim.

“Dad put down the sickle. Let’s just talk this out. You and me, let her go.” Hope slowly approached her father with great prudence.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Klaus yelled, moving violently, making the girl in his hand whimper. Hope jumped back at the volume of his voice. It had been a while since her father yelled at her. Either he was too drunk to even care, or she just avoided doing things that would get her into trouble. 

“Then make me understand dad! Make me understand!” Hope yelled back in reply. Klaus threw down the sickle, but Hope didn’t care to watch where it landed. Klaus then threw the girl he was holding to the side, but she had no time to look at her face or where she landed as he approached Hope swiftly. When he got close to Hope, she lurched back at the scent of death that was lingering off of him. Just as Klaus reached a foot’s length from his daughter, he grabbed her face with his hands. A low growl resounded from the back of his throat as he stared into her eyes, no sign of empathy apparent.

“You weren’t here.” His voice was now eerily low as his grip tightened around her jaw. Hope closed her eyes in pure fear. Hope wasn’t afraid of much, but when her father got violent, she thought there would be no tomorrow. “You won’t understand until you get here.” He explained, loosening his hand, and then dropping it completely. Hope didn’t open her eyes, not knowing what to expect next. After what had seemed like hours, but was only seconds, Hope opened her eyes. What she opened it to made her heart drop. A new girl, with blonde hair, was now in his arms as he picked up the sickle. They were both facing Hope, but Klaus’ arm was around the girl’s neck, holding her still.

“You weren’t here. I can’t make you understand,” he snarled out. “Leave now,” Klaus ordered his daughter.

“I won’t leave until I know that you won’t kill anyone,” Hope replied.

“LEAVE NOW!” Klaus yelled much louder due to Hope’s refusal, causing the newer girl to cry out.

“Please don’t kill me.” The girl sounded like she was crying now. “Please. I don’t want to die.” The girl was full-on sobbing now. She then looked straight into Hope’s eyes, begging her. “Help me.” The words were so soft, Hope almost missed them.

“Shut up!” Klaus shouted at the girl, adjusting his grip on her, causing the girl to stifle her sobs. 

“Just-just let the girl go dad. You don’t want to hurt her.” Hope was pleading, on the brink of tears.

“You don’t know what I want!” Klaus yelled back, moving the sickle down to the girl’s throat.

“Dad, please! Don’t kill her!” Hope began to get stupidly loud as she really started to fear for the girl’s life.

“You don’t know anything about killing!” Klaus yelled very loudly. And it was true. The only thing Hope had killed was the fish that she speared, and if you count it, the bugs that crept their way into her home. She hasn’t felt the life drain out of a person’s body at her hand. She hasn’t cut someone up to their death. She had no experience with killing, and it seems like Klaus knows everything about taking one’s life. The best way to do it, the feeling of it, and most importantly, how to lose the memory that you ever did. Hope knew nothing when it came to death. Hope snapped back to reality when Klaus made a sudden movement. Blood slowly crept down the girl’s neck, soaking up into her clothes. Her eyes grew wide as her hands attempted to keep the blood from spilling from her throat. Choking sounds barely left her mouth as blood slowly crawled out of her mouth. The girl was suffocating and choking on her own blood. Hope’s heart dropped into her stomach. She was nauseous as she watched the girl die of blood loss and asphyxiation. Hope dropped to her hands and knees not having the power to stand anymore.

“What did you just do?” Hope barely choked the words out, still in shock after witnessing the girl’s death. Klaus just let the body drop. Hope watched as the life drained out of the girl’s eyes as blood slowly drained from her body. Hope looked down to where her hands landed, feeling as if they were wet. As soon as she saw the ground, she felt her stomach acid creep up her throat and collect in her mouth. Not being able to swallow it down, Hope spat it out. Blood was rushing over her hands as if it was a river. The metallic smell clogged up her senses as the world around her muted. She leaned back onto her knees and lifted up her hands. They were dripping with blood. She shut her eyes in denial, but the smell still stayed. Hope scrutinized for the source and lost her breath at what she saw. The ground was littered with bodies, and where a body wasn’t, blood replaced it. Hope looked up, still in shock, to find her father. When she found where he went, it felt like her blood turned to rocks, slowly tearing away at her insides. Klaus had picked up the girl that had been previously calling for Hope. Hope still hadn’t seen her face and didn’t know how that girl knew her name. Some odd force made her feel like she was someone who somehow meant everything to Hope.

“I’m doing what has to be done,” Klaus simply answered. His hand wrapped tightly around the girl's shirt and lifted her up to the point where her toes were the only thing keeping her in contact with the ground. Klaus raised the sickle up in the air and began to bring it down, fast, aiming right for her head.

“DAD, STOP!” Hope jolted up, her shirt soaked in a cold sweat. It was just a nightmare.


End file.
